Wineries bring back passport weekend for enthusiasts
By Betsy Avelar Staff Writer
Gilroy – Wine enthusiasts from throughout the valley toured nearly a dozen local wineries, enjoying the Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and Merlots produced by local vintners.
For $25, participants in this year’s two-day Passport Weekend visited 11 South County wineries, where participants sampled wines, enjoyed VIP treatment and took part in activities that were planned exclusively for passport holders such barrel tasting, barbecues, winery tours and music. It was also a jump-start for a new Santa Clara Valley winery association.
“This is getting us to go out and try another winery that we normally wouldn’t go out to,” said John Teel, a Morgan Hill resident.
The $25 provided visitors like Teel with a large souvenir wine glass, a purple passport that included information and history on all the participating wineries, including a map. They also received a separate card to get stamped at participating wineries for a chance to win a T-shirt.
Carlo Fortino, of Hecker Pass Winery, was one of the key organizers of this event.
“We’re trying to get this region known,” said the 38-year-old winemaker. “We all want to succeed, we all want to make a living at what we love to do.”
Next door, his cousin Gino Fortino, winemaker and owner of Fortino’s Winery, also participated in the passport weekend.
“I think it brings more awareness that there are more wineries around here, and that they are not a long drive away,” he said.
At one point, passport weekends were more abundant and organized by the Santa Clara Valley Winegrower’s Association. This association filed for bankruptcy in 2003 after the only employee threatened the organization with a lawsuit.
The occurrence was devastating, but Carlo Fortino along with the owners of Sycamore Creek Winery, played a significant role in initiating a new association or “bringing it back” after three years of no action. Although Carlo Fortino confirmed that the new name, Wineries of the Santa Clara Valley, is now registered and used on the Visitor’s Bureau Web site, he said that registering the organization as a non-profit is “still in the works.”
Supporters like Ruth Pal-Freeman, 47, visited Fortino’s Winery after hearing of the event from an e-mail that she received.
“I’m on the mailing list for Sycamore Winery, and I really wanted to come up here and participate,” said the San Jose resident, holding a large souvenir glass of white wine. “We enjoy a lot of the Santa Clara wineries.”
Some visitors like Patty Atkinson form Vacaville did not participate in the passport weekend because she hadn’t heard of it and simply wanted to try out the wines first.
“We just heard about it when we went to Kirigin Cellars,” she said. “We’re just drinking wherever we can. We understand that the wines in the area haven’t reached their status. You got to taste all the wine first.”
It is no surprise that people form out of town come to the Santa Clara Valley for wine tasting. The Santa Clara Valley is one of California’s premium wine producing regions, and had the oldest association before its disbandment.
While the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association was organized in 1975, the Santa Clara Valley’s Winegrower’s Association was in existence for more than 56 years.
Most of the wineries here in the valley are family-owned said Carlo Fortino.
“It’s the next generation going forward. I’m trying to bring that back,” he said, recalling the times when the association and cohesiveness existed amongst the wineries in the valley. Though there are still ill feelings looming of the past, Carlo says “the past is the past.”
Terry Mariyama, a Gilroy resident was pleased with the event.
“Merlot at Sycamore was my favorite, 2001, and when they paired it with chocolate, uhhh, to die for,” she said. She was a returning participant of the passport weekend. “I’m glad they brought it back.”
